This was the original Seminole Heights blog with commentary about life in and around the urban neighborhood of Seminole Heights in Tampa, Florida. Musings about other topics as my mood permits. The blog is essentially inactive since I moved to Lutz. Go to The Official Unofficial Seminole Heights Blog - www.seminoleheightsblog.com for active content.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

• What makes you believe drugs arebeing sold?• Do you know what drugs areinvolved? Have you seen any drugparaphernalia?• How long has the activity gone on?• Have you reported this activitybefore? If so, when?• What is the address where the drugactivity is occurring (includingthe apartment number) or the closestintersection.• What type of building is it? (singlefamily, home, business, apartment)

• Where on the property is the drugactivity taking place? (at the frontdoor, out the back window, in thealley, etc).• Do you know where the drugs arekept?• What is the pattern of the activity?Time of day and days of the weekwhen it is the heaviest? Number ofpeople in and out in a given hour?Do cars drive up to the house or dopeople park and walk up? Fromwhich direction do they come andhow do they leave? Keep a writtenlog of your observations, includingdates and times, this can help identifypatterns. Have there been any othercrimes associated with the operation(threats or assaults on neighbors,increased burglaries, etc)?• Do you know the name and address ofthe property owner?• Do you know the name(s) of theperson or persons suspected of dealing?• What do the suspected dealer(s) looklike? (sex age, race, height, weight,build, hair and eye color, hair style,facial hair, complexion, eyewear,distinctive clothing). Be as specific aspossible with your description(s).• What type car(s) do the suspecteddealer(s) drive? (Make, model, year,style).• How many people live in the house orapartment? Are there children? Howold are they?• Any dogs? What kind? How many?• Any bars or other types ofreinforcements on the windows anddoors of the house or apartment?What kind? Where? Any alarm orsecurity systems? What kind?• Have you seen any weapons? Whatkind? How many?

How to report drug activity

Don’t assume the police already knowabout the activity or that a neighborwill call. Don’t assume one report is allthat is needed. If the activity keeps onoccurring, keep on reporting it. If thepattern changes, report that change. Allneighbors observing the drug activity areencouraged to report it.

2 comments:

Well inspectorgadget, have a bad day? Thinking this is our hood and we are responsible for it. It is up to us to be the eyes and ears of the police. Unless, of course you would like to have one officer issued per household so they could see what we see.

About Me

Creative Loafing's 2006 Best of the Bay - Best Local Blog - Runner Up and "One of the best civic-oriented chronicles in the Bay Area and a must-read for those in Central Tampa" Wayne Garcia - Political Editor, Creative Loafing (2005)

Selected by the TBT* as one of the six must read blogs of Tampa Bay area (2005)